The Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Vijitha Herath, confirmed this trip during his session in the Parliament’s budget allocation debate. During his speech, the minister stressed the outstanding diplomatic bond between India and Sri Lanka and acknowledged different cooperative agreements between both nations.
One major outcome of PM Modi’s visit will be the signing of new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). He will also launch the Sampur solar power station. Having received financial backing from Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board and India’s NTPC, the project will construct solar power facilities that deliver 135 MW of electricity within Trincomalee’s eastern region. These collaboration projects work toward strengthening energy cooperation between India and Sri Lanka as well as other nations.
According to Herath, the present Sri Lankan government continues to maintain supportive relations with India. “We will remain neutral in our foreign policy without taking any sides while working to maintain national interest,” Herath said.
This will be PM Modi’s fourth visit to the country and follows Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s maiden foreign visit to India last year. The leaders had discussed major regional concerns such as cybersecurity, energy project interests and the ongoing fisheries dispute in Palk Straits.
Modi will be the first head of state to visit Sri Lanka after Dissanayake-led National People’s Party won a historic mandate in September.
Several sources suggest that PM Modi may join the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand. A stopover at Colombo may happen before or after the regional summit. The BIMSTEC summit and Modi’s interactions with Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli will be on the agenda of international relations observers due to tensions between the countries.
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The upcoming visit of PM Modi coincides with India intensifying its economic relations and strategic partnerships with Sri Lanka, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors. An Indian company, U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions, has obtained the contract for a power project in Sri Lanka. A Chinese firm had originally been selected for the same venture.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
